Recent work with probe molecules for the small pore system (hemepeptides) has led to the discovery of transendothelial channels formed by chains of fused plasmalemma vesicles in the wall of muscle capillaries (rat diaphragm). Freeze cleaved preparations of reliably identified segments of the microvasculature (arterioles, capillaries, venules) have shown that there are characteristic segmental variations in the organization of cell junctions in the vascular endothelium. This and other findings suggest that the structural basis of permeability varies from segment to segment. This assumption was checked on the capillaries and postcapillary venules of the mouse diaphragm. In the former, macromolecular tracers are transported by plasmalemmal vesicles or move through transendothelial channels. In the latter, focally open junctions represent an additional passageway for molecules smaller than 70A. The distribution of anionic sites on the luminal aspect of the plasmalemma was investigated with cationized ferritin as a tracer. The results revealed the existence of differentiated "microdomains" related to characteristic structural features of the endothelium. The highest concentration of acidic sites was found on fenestral apertures, where they were contributed primarily by sulfated glycosaminoglycans, (heparan sulfate or heparin). Anionic sites were not detectable on plasmalemmal vesicles, transendothlial channels and their stomatal apertures. Lectin receptor distribution - on the luminal surface of the endothelium with tagged lectins specific for gluco-and manno-pyranosyl, N-acetylglucosaminyl, D-galactosyl, D-fucosyl, and N-acetylgalactosaminyl residues. The distribution is heterogeneous: it defines microdomains of minimal (fenestral diaphragms) versus maximal binding (membranes and diaphragms of plasmalemmal vesicles). It is proposed to: - continue the mapping of active sites on the surface of the endothelium; - isolate microvascular endothelia in sufficient amount for cell fractionation; - and investigate modulation in vesicular transport induced by variations in blood pressure, osmotic pressure, and body temperature.